The Favor
by yougotalifetime
Summary: Malec Fanfiction revolving around how they met, how Magnus saved Alec from demon poisoning, and their burgeoning relationship given that Alec is still hung up on Jace. Fairly fluffy.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I was rummaging through my old journals and found this fanfiction lying there in one of them. I think I wrote it back in high school during one of my classes; I hated my teacher and decided to just write instead of listen to him drone on and on. This is my first real fanfiction, so go easy on me, guys. Malec is my OTP, and I love them so much. I hope I do them justice.**

 **This will be in three parts, all taking place during _City of Bones_ and between _City of Bones_ and _City of Ashes_. I do not own anything; all credit for the characters and world go to Cassandra Clare. **

_Part One_

Alec lay in bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. His mind whirled, preventing any form of sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about him. He tried to picture Jace instead, tried to imagine Jace as he was happiest – a seraph blade in hand, his gold hair and eyes ablaze with heavenly vengeance, staring down a demon with ferocious determination. But even that only worked for a short time before a different face rose behind his eyelids. With a frustrated sigh, Alec rolled out of bed, pulled on some clothes, and headed for the elevator.

He had hoped to sneak out unnoticed. All he needed was a nice, brisk walk to clear his head.

No such luck.

Alec's hand was on the elevator call button when a voice behind him said, "And where do you think you're going at this time of night?"

Cursing under his breath, Alec turned to see Isabelle leaning against the doorway. She even looked formidable in her pajamas. "For a walk."

Isabelle snorted. "It's one o' clock in the morning and you're going for a walk?"

Alec nodded. "Pretty much."

"I don't believe you. You're sneaking out. You don't sneak out to go for a walk." Izzy's eyes widened. "Are you going to meet someone? You are, aren't you?" she said when Alec didn't immediately respond. "Is it that warlock?"

"Iz," Alec said, desperate to prevent that train of thought. "Seriously, I can't sleep, so I'm going for a walk. Okay?"

Izzy looked doubtful, but shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. Just try to be back from your booty call before morning. I'm not covering for you with Hodge." And, with a little wave over her shoulder, she went back to her room.

Alec threw his hands up in exasperation. Breathing a secretly relieved sigh, he called the elevator.

* * *

He didn't have a destination in mind when he set out. Lost in thought, Alec wandered aimlessly, paying very little attention to where he was going. At one point he became bored with walking, so he hopped a train, not caring to where. Somehow he found himself standing outside the apartment building of the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

"How'd I get here?" he muttered, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. Looking at his watch, Alec saw it was now 2:30 a.m. He glanced up at the apartment building, then down at the door. "Screw it," he said. Resolutely, he marched up the steps and rang the bell. He waited for a minute, then rang again. Just as he was starting to think that no one was going to answer, that maybe he should just leave, a sleepy, disgruntled voice emanated from the speaker.

"Who is _mad_ enough to wake me up in the _middle_ of the _night_ and what could you _possibly_ want that just _couldn't_ wait until morning?"

Alec swallowed hard, struggling to maintain this brief courage. "Um, hi. Uh, this is Alec. From…from the night before? At your party?"

"I throw a lot of parties. To which are you referring?" The silky voice had a slight edge to it, as if the speaker was losing what little patience he had.

"The party you threw for your cat. The one where Shadowhunters showed up?" Alec replied nervously. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

"Oh," the voice replied, sounding slightly more awake, though it had gained a cautious touch. "And which one are you? Not the arrogant one with the gold hair, right? Because if so…"

"No, no," Alec said quickly. "Not Jace. The other one. With the blue eyes. Alec?" he supplied helpfully.

"Ah." He sounded positively delighted. Alec could almost swear he purred. "Well come on up then."

There was a buzz as the door unlocked. Alec reached out to the doorknob…and froze, his hand hovering over the handle. What was he doing? Why was he here? Did he really want to go up those stairs? What would happen if he did?

With the last of his courage, Alec wrapped his hand around the doorknob, opened the door, and began walking up the stairs, the door swinging closed behind him. He jumped when it slammed. He took a deep breath and continued. He'd find out when he got up there.

When he reached the apartment door, it was already open, so he simply pushed and walked in. He was surprised to see how large and empty it appeared without the masses of Downworlders filling it. The floors seemed to be caked in a thin layer of glitter and the sparse furniture he could see also seemed to be shimmering with the stuff. Alec found his mouth curling up slightly in a smirk. He briefly wondered if all warlocks were this flashy.

"I don't often have Shadowhunters in my home once, let alone twice."

Alec spun, hand reaching reflexively to his belt for a weapon that wasn't there. Standing a little ways away, as tall and slim as Alec remembered him, was Magnus Bane. He was barefoot (understandably, since he'd been asleep), but he had pajama bottoms on, silky and smooth and a bright blue. The same color as Alec's eyes. Alec wondered briefly if this was a coincidence. He felt a small blush rise up his neck. On top, the warlock wore a gold bathrobe open onto his bare, surprisingly sculpted chest. Alec quickly moved his eyes upward. The blush got worse, and he desperately tried to keep it from his cheeks. He was surprised to see that Magnus's hair was not in glimmering spikes but instead hung loose and clean, tickling his chin.

Magnus's gold green cat eyes flashed in amusement at Alec's involuntary movement, but he kept his distance. "Jumpy, aren't you?" He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the doorway. Despite his lack of glitter and glamour, Magnus still managed to not look plain. Alec still felt that Magnus emanated a presence that made him feel exposed, as if the warlock could see right through him. He shivered slightly under the gaze of those alien eyes. "You didn't have a weapon there to wield, so at least you aren't here to kill me. There are only two other reasons why you would be here," Magnus said, snapping Alec out of his reverie.

Alec moved out of his automatic fighting stance and, having nothing else to do with them, placed his hands in his pockets. "And what would those be?" He was surprised at how calm his voice sounded.

"You are either here to ask for another favor, or," Magnus said, leaning forward slightly, "you are here to ask for another favor." A smile played on the warlock's lips.

Alec felt a blush rise to his cheeks and not for the first time cursed his overly pale skin. He did not miss the innuendo in Magnus's words. But he wasn't here for _that_.

So…what was he here for?

"No…no favors," Alec stammered out, all courage gone.

"Oh." Magnus slumped back against the wall, visibly disappointed. "Then why are you here? Alec, wasn't it?" His eyes searched Alec's gold green locking with blue, the warlock's curiosity tinged with annoyance. Alec somehow knew Magnus remembered his name, but was upset that Alec had turned down his offer. Alec's curiosity peaked. He'd met the warlock only yesterday; what cause did he have to be upset at Alec's response?

He didn't know why, but he wanted to cheer Magnus up. He scrambled for something to say. "Your number," he blurted out. Magnus started a bit at Alec's sudden explosion. Alec hunched his shoulders self-consciously.

"What?" Magnus asked, confused.

"Your…your number," Alec mumbled. "You said to call you, but you didn't give me your number." He cleared his throat, unsure where that came from, but he couldn't think of anything else to say. A smile rose to Magnus's lips as he chuckled and stepped toward Alec.

"I suppose I didn't give you a means of contacting me, did I?" he said, leaning close to Alec, who was blushing furiously. The warlock had a mischievous gleam in his cat eyes, a gleam that made Alec's heart race. "And since you did not know any other means to speak with me, you insisted on traveling all the way from the Institute in Manhattan to my humble Brooklyn walk-up at two in the morning." Though his words implied an accusation, his tone was teasing.

"I wouldn't exactly call this humble," Alec murmured nervously.

Magnus grinned his Chesire Cat grin. He backed up a bit from Alec, giving Alec room to catch his breath. "So, Alexander, since you are already here, what did you need to tell me?" He crossed the room and grabbed a bottle and two glasses from behind the bar. Alec's eyes followed him as he moved around the apartment. He couldn't help it; Magnus drew his eyes like a magnet. Shaking his head, Alec tried to gather himself up enough to say something, anything. There hadn't really been anything he needed to tell Magnus, nor did he really come for his number. He didn't have any reason to be here.

Magnus turned back to Alec, two full glasses of some brightly colored alcohol in his hands, when Alec's silence persisted. Magnus raised an eyebrow, a look of amused confusion on his face. "You didn't really come for my number, did you Alexander?" Magnus asked.

Alec opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say, so he closed it again and simply shook his head.

"I see," Magnus said, carrying the glasses with him to sit on a nearby couch. Setting the glasses down on the coffee table, Magnus lounged back on the couch, propped his feet up, and patted the cushion next to him. "Then why don't we just sit and talk? I did ask you to call me so we could."

Alec hesitated. "I'm not sure it's the best thing if I stay. I…"

"That's fine," Magnus said, still smiling strangely. Alec blinked as Magnus got up and took Alec's hand. "If you do fine something to talk about, just fire-message me." He kissed the back of Alec's hand, sending a wave of electricity up his spine. This close, Alec could smell the warlock scent of burnt sugar. "Or you could just come over again." Smiling and bowing slightly, Alec's hand still in his, Magnus said, "Until next time, Alec."

* * *

After Magnus had let Alec out, he closed the door and leaned against it, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Did that really just happen? Did Magnus really just flirt with a Shadowhunter?

Did the Shadowhunter really flirt back?

Sure, it was awkward and unsure, but it was still flirting nonetheless. And not only had they flirted, but they flirted because the Shadowhunter – Alec – had actually come to find him. In the middle of the night.

Magnus had to wonder why.

Chariman Meow, annoyed at having been woken up, rubbed his head against Magnus's ankle, demanding attention since Magnus was up anyway. Magnus reached down to rub Chairman Meow's head, then walked back to the couch where the two drinks still sat on the coffee table. He picked one up and downed it in one go. It was nice and smooth on the way down. Special drink he made himself. He put the glass down, then put his head in his hands.

What in the world was he thinking? Sure, he was cute…okay, more than cute…but this was still a bad idea. It never worked well, flirting with Shadowhunters. They always let him down, always chose their precious Clave over their feelings.

Magnus reached out, grabbed the second glass, and downed that, too. This time it burned, and he grimaced. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Then he stood and went back to his room. As he laid back down on his bed, he made a decision. He wouldn't have anything more to do with Alec. Absolutely nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

_Part Two_

Magnus Bane raced along the streets of New York, refusing to allow anything to get in his way. He dodged around people, vehicles, and buildings, making his way as fast as possible to the New York Institute in Manhattan.

He had to save Alec Lightwood's life.

Magnus had been in his apartment, deciding how to redecorate, when he had received a fire message out of nowhere. Startled, he had taken the message and immediately recognized the thin handwriting on the note.

It simply said, "Alec Lightwood has been poisoned by a Greater Demon."

Magnus had dropped the note and left immediately for the Institute, paying no heed for the fact that Alec might be halfway to the Silent City by now. He paid no heed to the fact that Alec could very well be dead by the time he reached the Institute. He didn't even stop long enough to remember he could take transportation to the Institute instead of running. He didn't care. All he could think about was getting to Alec and healing him.

Somehow.

He knew a lot of cures for demon poisoning, but he'd never really cured poison from a Greater Demon before. How was he going to heal Alec? Could he even manage it?

 _Don't think about that right now,_ Magnus thought. _Just get to him._

As the Institute loomed in front of him, Magnus had a sudden, blood-chilling thought: how was he going to get in to the Institute? It wasn't like the door would be unlocked and, it being guarded under Clave protection, he wouldn't be able to open it with magic. When he reached the door, he tugged on the handle desperately, but it wouldn't budge. Attempting to calm himself, Magnus laid both of his hands on the door, closed his eyes, and bowed his head. "My name is Magnus Bane," he said softly. "I am an 800 year old warlock. There is a Nephilim, Alexander Lightwood, who has been poisoned and is dying in the Institute infirmary. I am capable of healing him, but I must be admitted into this building!" He had to restrain himself from screaming this last.

Magnus stood there, hands shaking slightly where they rested on the door, his breath coming in gasps from his sprint through New York City. He waited impatiently for the door to open, to do anything other than stand there, solid and immovable as ever. With a shout of frustration, Magnus threw his shoulder against the door, pounded it with his hands, and tried to break the door down. He tried until his shoulders were bruised and his head was reeling.

Setting his shoulders and taking a step back, Magnus took a deep breath and sent power zinging to his fingertips. Blue sparks flew as he gathered his hands together.

 _That is not a wise idea, Magnus._

Magnus whirled around, his face glowing with the blue light from his hands. Standing before him, parchment colored robe sweeping the ground, stood a Silent Brother, his hood drawn down over his face. "Let me in," Magnus growled.

 _Calm yourself first and we shall talk,_ the Silent Brother said, his voice echoing uncomfortably in Magnus's head. He'd always hated that feeling.

Slowly, Magnus composed himself, his hands falling to his sides, devoid of magic. His eyes blazed as they looked at the Silent Brother. "Brother Zachariah, I formally request entrance into the New York Institute."

Brother Zachariah reached up and lowered his hood, revealing a face that was younger than any Silent Brother, though it held look the weight of years. It was a face that Magnus knew well. _Why are you so willing to do this, Magnus? So willing to do this for free, no less?_ If Silent Brothers could sound snarky, Magnus was sure this was what it sounded like.

"Who said I was doing this for free?" Magnus asked guardedly.

 _Because I sent my fire message less than half an hour ago, and yet here you are. You must have –_

"Jem," Magnus said softly but forcefully. "Let me into this place."

Brother Zachariah's expression did not change, thought Magnus felt a change in his demeanor. _I do not use that name anymore. But I will allow it this once._ Brother Zachariah swept past Magnus and laid his hand on the door of the Institute. It opened easily under his hand. _I do hope you know what awaits you through this door, Magnus._

Magnus, who had started through the door, turned back to his old friend with a hard expression, but a gleam of something unidentifiable in his eyes and the ghost of a smirk playing across his lips. "Come now. Who knows what lies behind every door?" And with that, Magnus ran into the Institute, not sparing a glance back.

Brother Zachariah stood still for a moment, staring after the retreating warlock, then quietly moved forward and said to himself before shutting the door, "Godspeed, my friend."

* * *

Magnus threw open the door of the Infirmary to find Isabelle Lightwood sitting at her brother's side, holding his hand in hers. She looked up when he entered, her battled reflexed kicking in as she began to flick out her whip. She stopped when she saw who it was. "Magnus? What are you doing here?" she asked, standing up, Alec's hand still in hers.

"You both are wound so tight," Magnus said as calmly as he could manage, walking over to the other side of Alec's bed. "Which demon was it?"

"What?" Isabelle looked at him, and he resisted the temptation to snap at her. "How'd you know Alec was…"

"Isabelle, dear, while I would love to chat about my methods, Alec is dying and I may be able to save him. Now which Greater Demon was it?"

She looked slightly taken aback by Magnus's forcefulness, but she shook it off. "Uh, Abbadon. Demon of Fear."

Magnus's lip curled into a sneer of distaste. "Wonderful." He looked down to study Alec's condition. He felt his heart constrict. He could tell they had tried to patch up his wound, but he could also tell that no _iratze_ would work on this. Carefully Magnus examined the wound under the worried and protective gaze of Isabelle. It was jagged, the poison spreading out through the veins, making it look sickly and infected, as if the flesh were already starting to decay. A wave of despair washed over Magnus, but he pushed it down, focusing only on the cures he knew for demon poisoning. He couldn't look at Alec's face, could barely look at the wound. How could he heal such a devastating blow?

Taking a deep breath, Magnus reached deep into his being to find the fire that burned at his center, the hissing and sparking life of his magic. Slowly he tapped into some of that power, channeling it to his fingertips, to his hands. Blue sparks played across his knuckles, illuminating the wound. The blue light should have made the injury look worse, but instead it made the poison in the veins glow red, demonic magic reacting to demonic magic.

"Now would be a good time to leave," Magnus said quietly, absently, focusing on the magic beneath his hands. "And don't bother arguing," he said, sensing Isabelle's imminent protests. "The fewer distractions in this room, the easier it will be for me to focus on removing the poison from Alec's system. You hovering over me will only hinder his recovery."

Magnus did not look up as he heard the clack of Isabelle's heels and the soft thud as the door closed behind her. He turned his full attention to his task. He delved deeper into his supply of magic and went to work.

* * *

Pain. A sharp, all-consuming pain that blaze through the darkness. That was all he knew.

Suddenly, a softer, lighter, burning sensation spread through the pain. A cooling fire, he thought vaguely before the thought vanished into darkness, though even that was quickly fading in favor of a soft blue light. The light seemed to work as an anesthetic, relieving the pain. He sighed (or thought he did) as a sense of well-being radiated through him. His body relaxed. He slowly drifted into unconsciousness, a different kind of darkness, as a sound came to him, like the slow, steady beat of a heart.

When he opened his eyes again, all the memories of the battle rushed back to him and Alec sat upright, breathing heavily. He was greeted by a dull ache throbbing from his midsection, a pounding in his head making him dizzy. Groaning, he reached up and massage his temple with one hand, the other holding him up.

"You should probably lie down again. You aren't quite back to normal yet."

Alec, vision still shaky, felt a firm but gentle hand push him back onto the mass of pillow on the bed. Immediately the throbbing in his head lessened and his breathing began to steady. He blinked rapidly and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, attempting to clear his vision and see who it was who had spoken. Eventually he was able to see the shape of a person leaning forward in a chair next to his bed. A person wearing a simple black cloak open over a simple black t-shirt. A person with spiky black hair.

"Magnus…" Alec croaked, his throat raw. "What…what are you…" He broke off, his words coming in painful gasps. Magnus grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table. Placing a hand behind Alec's head, he lifted the glass to Alec's lips. Cool water flowed down Alec's throat, healing his cracked and parched lips. "Thanks," he said softly, his voice clear.

Magnus nodded, set the glass on the table, and leaned forward again, folding his hands carefully in front of him. He looked into Alec's eyes. Alec felt something stir in his chest. "How are you feeling?"

The look Alec saw him Magnus's eyes was one of worry and…something else, something Alec's aching head didn't feel up to deciphering. Closing his eyes for a moment, Alec said, "Sore. Tired." He attempted a weak smile. "But better than I should, under the circumstances. What happened?"

"I healed you," Magnus said softly.

Alec opened his eyes and looked over at Magnus in surprise. "You did?"

Magnus nodded, running a hand tiredly over his spikes, denting them slightly. Alec wanted to reach out his hand and fix them. "I did."

Alec wished he had a clever response, a smart quip, anything that could break the sudden, inexplicable tension between them. Instead he just said, "Thank you, Magnus. I am in your debt."

Magnus looked at Alec in amazement. "In my debt?" he asked, as if he didn't understand.

"Yeah," Alec said. "You saved my life. And warlocks never work for free." Alec smiled at Magnus. "Especially you, from my understanding. I have to owe you something."

Magnus smiled wearily and took Alec's hand in his own, tracing an idle finger over the scars along Alec's wrist, almost as if he didn't realize he was doing it. Alec felt electricity run beneath his skin at the touch. Must be an aftereffect of the magic, he thought. "Alexander," said Magnus, "you do owe me a favor." His eyes flickered to Alec's face and back to their hands so quickly that Alec doubted whether it happened at all. "You owe me the courtesy of asking for nothing."

Alec was slightly startled by this. The slight formal lilt to Magnus's words surprised him. They seemed to come from someone older, someone not wearing glitter eyeshadow. It seemed out of character, and yet…Alec suddenly remembered that Magnus was older than he seemed. He caught a glimpse of a man from another time, a time when speech like this was used for casual conversation. When women wore corsets and men wore coattails and propriety was the law. But it was only a glimpse, and Alec was again staring at the glittering, ostentatious warlock holding his hand. "What…what do you mean?" he asked after a long pause.

"I mean that I require no payment for saving your life, Alexander. I was never hired in the first place." Magnus wasn't looked at Alec as he said this, but even so Alec saw the warlock's eyes darken slightly.

"But…but I thought…"

"You thought they called me instead of the Silent Brothers to keep this from the Clave." Magnus had a slight, brittle edge to his tone that made Alec flip his hand over to grasp Magnus's, where it was still tracing his runes.

"Well, if you weren't hired, why'd you come? How'd you know to come?"

Magnus finally looked directly at Alec, a quick, mysterious smile glinting mischievously on his lips. "To answer your second question, a warlock has his ways. As for your first," Magnus said, dropping his voice and leaning close to Alec, "when you live as long as I do, you learn to keep around the interesting people. And you, Alexander Lightwood, are much too interesting to lose so easily."

Alec felt a slight blush rise to his cheeks. Magnus's grin grew wider at the color. Alec looked away, but not before he saw Magnus yawn widely while attempting to hide it discreetly behind the hand that wasn't holding his. "You must be exhausted," Alec remarked, noticing the small shadows under Magnus's eyes. "You should sleep. Replenish your strength."

Magnus shook his head. "No, no, I'm fi – I'm fine…" He was cut off by another deep yawn.

"Go," Alec said softly, smiling at Magnus, who couldn't help but smile back. "You just saved my life today; you deserve a rest. Besides, I'm sure Isabelle's dying to see if I'm okay. How you managed to keep her from the room is beyond me." He removed his hand from Magnus's a little reluctantly before settling it back on the sheets. "I'll see you later."

Magnus's gaze intensified at the obvious implications in his words. Alec's heart jumped, but he resolutely held his gaze, staring into Magnus's gold green eyes with his deep blue ones, refusing to break contact. After what felt like an eternity, Magnus said, with a Chesire Cat grin on his face, "Is that a promise?"

Alec looked at Magnus – really looked at him – and slowly, confidently, said, "Yes."

The warlock nodded, and walked down the aisle of the Infirmary to the door. With his hand on the doorknob, he turned his head slightly and said over his shoulder, "Get well, Alexander." The door closed behind him with a thud that resounded in the near-empty room. Alec listened as the sound died. Then, a warm glow in his chest, he closed his eyes and dreamed of blue fire.

* * *

Magnus slumped briefly against the door of the infirmary, closing his eyes and breathing a sigh of relief, releasing all the tension of the last three hours. He had gone through many stressful situations in his very long life. He had healed many people and seen many people die. He knew how to deal with these sorts of situations.

This, he knew, was different from all of them.

"Is he alright? What happened in there? Magnus, answer me, dammit!"

He straightened and opened his eyes to find Isabelle storming towards him, looking so worried that she might kill him if he answered incorrectly. He quickly composed himself. "He's alright, Isabelle. He's sleeping now. I think you should let him."

"I take offense at your implication," Isabelle said. Magnus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His gaze softened when Isabelle said, "But he's really okay?"

Magnus nodded. "Yes, he's alright. He was even conscious, for a few minutes. He wanted to know how I kept you out of the Infirmary while I worked."

Isabelle laughed softly. "What did you tell him?"

"That I kicked you out and my natural wit and charm compelled you to do my bidding."

Isabelle snorted attractively. Magnus admired her skill. "Yeah, right. I'm going to go in, be there when he wakes up." She brushed past him, then stopped with her hand on the door. She looked over at Magnus and said, "Thank you, Magnus. For saving him." With that, she opened the door and walked in. It shut with a solid thud behind her, echoing in the empty hallway. Magnus rolled his eyes at this. Everything echoed in the Institute; it was the Shadowhunter's penchant for solemn, self-important theatrics.

He left the Institute without running into anyone else, for which he was grateful. He didn't know if he could deal with anymore Shadowhunters right now. He made his way back to his apartment on the train, thinking of nothing in particular. He let his mind wander as he gazed out the window at New York City. His city. His thoughts returned to Alec. He thought of the panic that had taken him over at the thought of Alec dying. He thought of how he hadn't spared a second thought to rushing over to the Institute, of how his only concern had been to see Alec, to get to him. He thought of what that meant.

The New York skyline rushed by, the lights glittering against the sunset.


	3. Chapter 3

_Part Three_

For the next few weeks, Alec found himself fire-messaging often. Even more than that, he found himself hanging out in Brooklyn more and more frequently. He really enjoyed talking with the warlock, and Magnus always let Alec up, at any time of the day or night. Occasionally Alec had to sneak back into the Institute so as not to arouse Isabelle's suspicions (though he felt he was failing), or Jace's, Angel forbid, after one of his late night talk sessions with Magnus. It was so easy to lose track of time when he and Magnus could and di talk about anything and everything. Alec would show up, Magnus would offer him a drink, he'd decline, and they would talk or just hang out, just be in the same room as each other.

Magnus had not given up on his advances. He was constantly flirting with Alec, little things like sitting close to him, leaning close whenever Alec talked, kissing his hand or pulling him into a hug when he left. Alec never discouraged any of this. In fact, he welcomed it. It was kind of nice, he thought, having someone who he could be like this with. He wasn't ready to put any labels on the relationship, but he certainly wasn't about to break it off.

One day, Alec was leafing through one of Magnus's many books, Chairman Meow curled up at his feet, when Magnus walked in and smiled down at him. He was dressed very soberly for Magnus, in a plain red shirt with buckles down the side and black jeans. He was barefoot and his hair was only spiked, not glittered. Alec smiled up at him.

"You look comfortable," Magnus said, coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. He whispered in Alec's ear, "I'm glad."

Alec's face burned at the feel of Magnus's breath against his ear and he shivered slightly, a shiver Magnus did not miss. "Are you cold, Alexander?" he asked, silky voice full of innuendo. "We can fix that." He boldly kissed Alec on the cheek, a light brush of lips on skin that made Alec's heart skip a beat.

"N-no, not cold," Alec stammered, unable to form anything more coherent. He wasn't very verbose anyway, and Magnus's touch was not helping matters.

"Then why are you shivering?" Magnus teased, knowing full well why Alec shivered.

Suddenly Alec pulled away from Magnus and stood up, disturbing Chairman Meow, who squealed and scampered away. Magnus looked up at him, surprised. "What's wrong?"

"What is this?" Alec asked.

"What is what? Alec, are you…"

"This," Alec said, gesturing to himself and Magnus. His heart was racing and his mind was reeling. He couldn't quite look at Magnus. "Us. What is this?"

Magnus stood and looked at Alec with guarded eyes, being sure to keep his distance. "I'm not sure I understand the question."

"I come here almost every day now, sometimes several times a day, and…and you do things like that…and…and what do you think is happening?" Alec's rant deflated quickly until he stood there lamely, staring at his shoes and waiting anxiously for Magnus to say something.

Magnus just stared at Alec, his eyes sad. He knew this talk had to come eventually; he had just hoped that Alec would have completely accepted their blooming relationship before that happened. He hadn't been able to get the blue-eyed, raven-haired Shadowhunter out of his head since they met. Alec had made him feel something that he hadn't felt in a very long time, something he wasn't ready to name for fear of scaring it off. He was always happy when Alec came to see him, and seeing Alec at his door never failed to make him smile. When he realized Alec didn't want to accept his feelings or let go of his obvious yet futile affections for Jace, he had been determined to make Alec change his mind. He had thought Alec was coming around. But this sudden, panicked outburst told Magnus that Alec was still struggling.

It was getting frustratingly old.

"Do you want my honest opinion or just what you want to hear?" Magnus asked, his heart constricting, his hands aching to hold Alec. He fought to keep his voice calmly passive.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alec asked incredulously, a smile crease forming between his eyebrows. Magnus cursed his traitor heart for jumping slightly; even that was adorable. Damn him.

"I mean that you don't want to hear me say that I think of you as anything so serious as a boyfriend," Magnus said, a slight flintiness sharpening his words.

Alec froze, his gaze locked on Magnus, who glared back at him, his eyes saying more than words could. "I'm…your boyfriend?" he asked quietly, his own voice sounding strangely small to his ears.

Magnus threw his hands in the air. "I thought it might be moving toward that, yes. But apparently that isn't how you feel, so I suppose it's a moot point, isn't it?" Grabbing the book from where Alec had dropped in on the couch, Magnus defiantly turned his back on him. "You can see yourself out."

Alec snapped out of his stunned stupor as the words lashed out at him. "Magnus, wait!" he said, rushing forward and grabbing the warlock's arm. Magnus stopped, but didn't turn around. "I'm…I'm an idiot," Alec said. "I knew that's what was happening. I'm just…"

"Hung up on Jace?" Magnus said, his voice slightly bitter. "Yeah, I know. But if you hadn't noticed, he isn't hung up on you."

Alec sighed, released Magnus, and hung his head. "I know. Trust me, I know. I've just loved him for so long and I've never really had a relationship before and especially not with a Downworlder…"

"So that's it?" Magnus said. "I knew that would be a problem."

"Magnus, can you imagine what would happen if the Clave found out that not only am I gay, but that I'm dating a Downworlder?"

"Screw the Clave!" Magnus said, turning around and grabbing Alec by the shoulders in a sudden, uncharacteristic burst of anger. "They shouldn't care anything about this…" He broke off, a strange look crossing his face. Alec looked at him quizzically.

"What?"

"Did you just say you're 'dating a Downworlder'?" Magnus asked, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Alec looked up slightly into Magnus's eyes. He thought about all that had been happening with Magnus over the last two weeks, all the small touches, all the inside jokes, all the denying he'd done because he was afraid. _Jace is never afraid,_ Alec thought, then shoved that thought away. This wasn't about Jace. This was about him and Magnus.

And it was time to acknowledge that.

"Yeah, I did," he said in a small voice. "You are my boyfriend, right?"

Magnus's eyes lit up as Alec's words sunk in. Alec felt his heart flutter. Smiling softly, Magnus moved his hands up to cup Alec's face. "You're damn right."

Leaning down, Magnus pressed his lips softly to Alec's. Alec's eyes closed involuntarily as his heart raced and he stopped thinking altogether. The world fell away around them until Alec felt like he was floating, Magnus's hands on his cheeks and Magnus's lips on his being the only things keeping him from flying into space. In that moment all Alec wanted to do was wrap his arms around Magnus and pull him close and never let him go.

Sooner than he liked, the kiss was over, and Alec was left feeling like something life-changing had just happened, something he couldn't come back from, despite the briefness of the moment. Magnus did not pull away entirely; rather he kept a hand on Alec's cheek, moving the other down slowly to Alec's waist and pulling him closer. His gold green cat eyes were alight and his skin was slightly flushed as if he'd felt the same swirling lightness that Alec had.

"Well that was fun," Magnus said, his voice, Alec was surprised to note, a little husky. "We must do it again sometime."

Alec chuckled softly as he placed his hand over Magnus's on his cheek, holding it there and closing his eyes again. "Yeah, no kidding."

Magnus grinned. "Is that suggestion? Or a request?" He leaned down as if to kiss Alec again, but Alec pulled away slightly.

"Magnus…" Alec said.

Magnus groaned and leaned forward, resting his head on Alec's shoulder. "Alexander Lightwood, you are going to be the death of me."

Alec took Magnus's head between his hands and brought his face up to look the warlock in the eye. "Look. I do want this. I do. I just need some time." He absently rubbed his thumb in circles across Magnus's cheek. Magnus closed his eyes briefly before bringing his eyes back to Alec's. "Please, Magnus."  
Magnus looked somberly into Alec's eyes, as if searching for something. Slowly his eyes brightened and a smirk lit across his face. "You're lucky you're cute."

Alec smiled and pulled Magnus in for another kiss.


End file.
